"Was this Yin Yang Jade originally a treasure of the Five Ghosts Gate?"
Fang Yuan was startled. "Then was the news that a rare treasure had appeared here also fake? A Feint to the East, Attack to the West?"
"Exactly!"
Gui Wusheng's pupils were lifeless as he nodded.
"What nerve. To create a smokescreen, they were even willing to use a Secret Treasure like this as bait..."
Fang Yuan sucked in a cold breath.
It was obvious that keeping this from so many martial artists would take a hefty investment. The Yin Yang Jade had been brought out for that very reason.
Originally, with an Eighth Gate expert protecting it and the Five Ghosts Gate secretly backing them up, the plan should have been foolproof. Unfortunately, they had run into Fang Yuan...
"Good! The Yin Yang Jade isn't the point..."
Fang Yuan tossed the beautiful jade in his hand, his expression suddenly turning solemn. "Then what exactly is your real objective?"
"The real objective..."
Gui Wusheng's expression shifted several times before he finally began to explain. "It's a Treasure Map! No, perhaps I should say a fragment of one... Our sect once obtained a piece, but it later went missing. This is the second!"
Sunset City.
The city lay in the far north of Lieyang Commandery, in the opposite direction from Shaoyang City. Outside its walls stood a mountain range called Xuan Yan, said to be riddled with underground fires and perilous in the extreme.
It was now dusk. Farmers were returning to their fields, shopkeepers were putting up their shutters, and every so often, a few shepherd boys could be seen playing by the river. The scene was steeped in the tranquil atmosphere of country life.
"Phew..."
Just as the city gates were about to close, a cloaked